The second-third of the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 home and away season concludes this weekend, with Round 12 headlined by two massive top five clashes.
Top-of-the-table Heidelberg will look to replicate their early season victory over Bundoora when they face one another at Warringal Park.
A 10 goal to four second half was the catalyst for the Tigers’ 36-point win over the Bulls in Round 6 and a similar result could see them well on their way to a minor premiership.
Heidelberg are still yet to lose a game since Round 4 but their winning streak nearly came to end last week as they scraped through for a four-point win over North Heidelberg
The Tigers didn’t lead at any of the quarter breaks before kicking 2.7 to 2.2 to claim the narrow victory.
Heidelberg’s midfield continues to shine with Sam Gilmore and Lachie Wilson again outstanding over the weekend while Joshua Minogue chimed in for four majors and Keenan Posar played one of his best games of the year.
As good as they have been, Danny Nolan’s side might not get away with a result as easily on Saturday as they face a Bulls side who have been relentless in the last month.
Bundoora haven’t lost a game since their defeat to the Tigers in May, wining their last five matches by an average margin of 54 points.
Led by John Jorgensen’s seven majors, Bundoora were too strong for Whittlesea last week, as they produced a 72-point triumph.
A win for the Bulls on Saturday will seem them finish the round in equal first as they’ll all but secure a top three spot.
If Heidelberg triumph, they will establish a two-game gap from the second placed side in a best-case scenario, putting them in pole position to finish the year on top.
Over at Greensborough War Memorial Park, Greensborough take on Montmorency in a match that could have some big consequences on their top five placings in the backend of the season.
The Borough continue to produce a rollercoaster of a season, having again lost touch with the top three following a disappointing loss to West Preston-Lakeside.
Their fourth defeat in five matches, the Borough now sit 14 points behind third placed Bundoora and will need to regain their spark in order to avoid an elimination final.
Montmorency have been at their powerful best over the last two months as they look to extend their seven-match winning streak.
Their average winning margin since the start of May has been an astonishing 59.2 points, which has seen Garry Ramsay’s side become one of the highest scoring teams in the competition.
Patrick Fitzgerald has been a massive contributor in those victories as they key forward leads the competition’s goalkicking charts following a bag of 10 against Hurstbridge last week.
Despite the Magpies form, their last defeat did come against the Borough in Round 4 when Tom Bell stole the show to give his side a 13-point win.
Montmorency will see the next fortnight as a huge opportunity to stake their claim as the team to beat in 2022, with a clash against Heidelberg following their encounter with Greensborough on Saturday, two wins will seem the shoot into first spot.
A Greensborough triumph will begin their charge towards a top three finish but another defeat could see them drop down to fifth, putting them in danger of losing a top five spot.
With finals still well within reach, North Heidelberg will be looking to return to the winners list when they lock horns with Northcote Park at Shelley Street Reserve.
The Bulldogs were just moments away from pulling off an incredible victory against ladder leaders Heidelberg last week, just falling short in the last quarter.
With back-to-back defeats and now six points adrift from the top five, the Bulldogs will hope to regain the momentum they had earlier in the season when they won three games in a row from Round 7 to Round 9.
Jesse Tardio continues to impress in midfield, driving the majority of North Heidelberg’s attacks while three goals from Liam Nunan last week may have opened the door for a more attacking role for the 26-year-old.
Northcote Park’s confidence will be sky high following an incredible 47-point victory over finals hopeful’s Macleod in Round 11.
The Cougars’ third win of the season was their biggest margin of victory since 2019 thanks to five goals from Michael Amad as well as inspiring performances from Ben McNiece and Ricky Fandrich.
After already jumping off the bottom of ladder due to last week’s triumph, if Stephen Saddington can defeat his former side on Saturday, they’ll end the round on the same points as the Bulldogs and all but assure a spot in the topflight next year.
For North Heidelberg, a win would not only see them be just two points behind the fifth placed side if results go their way, but also set up a massive clash against West Preston-Lakeside next week.
Hurstbridge will hope for an improved effort when they do battle with Macleod at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Bridges are still yet to grab a win since Round 3 and with heavy defeats to top five sides in the last fortnight, they’ll see this match against the Roos as an opportunity to bounce back as relegation looms.
They’ll hope to at least improve from their last performance where they faced their biggest defeat of the season, going down to Montmorency by 84 points.
Currently the only side with less than two wins, Hurstbridge are more desperate than ever to return to the winners list as they try and avoid Division 2 football next year.
Fortunately for the Bridges, they face a Macleod side who have lost three of their last four matches.
Following their brilliant five-point win over North Heidelberg during the Queen’s Birthday weekend, the Roos couldn’t replicate their efforts against a hungry Northcote Park side and as a result, missed a significant opportunity to inch closer to the top five.
With injuries to Justin White, Hamish Paynter and Ned McKeown, the Roos struggled to get a hold of the Cougars forward line, trailing at each change as a result.
These sides met only five fixtures in a game that saw Macleod prevail by nine points after scores were level at three quarter time and with both teams hoping to respond after big defeats, this match could have a similar outcome.
Whittlesea pulled off an incredible upset victory over West Preston-Lakeside last time these two sides met in Round 2 and the Eagles will need lightning to strike twice in order to distance themselves from the bottom of the ladder.
The last fortnight has been tough going for the Eagles who have been at the end of heavy defeats to Heidelberg and more recently, Bundoora.
With key players departing the club in recent weeks, Whittlesea have relied on the likes of Mitchell Andrews, Samuel Indian and Brody Bell to take the next steps in their game but in order to return to the winners list, they’ll need all 22 players to stand up.
If the Eagles can do the double over the Roosters, they would potentially jump to eighth spot and may do enough to avoid a return to Division 2.
West Preston-Lakeside meanwhile produced the perfect response to their disappointing form of late, with a 17-point triumph over Greensborough.
Ahmed Saad kicked five majors while ruck Matthew Harman was best on ground, dominating at stoppages to help lead his side to victory.
It gives Rob Maiorana’s side an opportunity gather some momentum in the backend of the season as they look to secure another finals berth and defend their back to back premierships.
